It is desirable, in the operation of a mobile communication system (MCS) that provides telephone calling services, to provide local call access to a mobile communication device (MCD) utilizing the mobile communication system, from a base address (BA) for the MCD, via a wireless rate center (WRC) encompassing the base address BA for the MCD. For an MCD mounted in a vehicle, for example, the base address BA may be a garaged location of the vehicle, for example, or some other location, such as a business address or a dispatching center for the vehicle.
In such a mobile communication system MCS, an MCD typically communicates with the mobile communication system MCS at a flat rate, provided by a wireless service provider (WSP) having a special billing arrangement with the operator of the mobile communication system MCS, that rolls all incidental charges into the flat rate. For example, an MCD mounted in the vehicle may provide cellular telephone service, wireless data exchange, and access to a number of other services of the mobile communication system MCS, all at the touch of a button, and at a flat rate per minute of connection time, without additional long distance charges.
If the MCD using the mobile communication system MCS cannot be accessed from a base address BA using a local telephone number, however, the user of the MCD subscribing to the mobile communication system MCS will have to pay long distance charges to call the MCD from the base address, in addition to the flat rate charges paid for using the mobile communication system MCS. It is highly desirable that the user not be required to pay such long distance charges for communicating with the MCD from the base address BA.
In order for a subscriber of the mobile communication system MCS to be able to call the MCD from the base address BA for the MCD, without incurring long distance charges, it is necessary to assign a mobile dialing number (MDN) to the MCD that is accessible through a wireless rate center having an operating area for free local calls that encompasses the base address BA.
Prior methods for assigning an MDN to an MCD, that allows free local calls from the base address to an MCD, via a wireless rate center having an operating area for free local calls that encompasses the base address BA, have been cumbersome, and fraught with error. The drawbacks and problems in prior methods for assigning an MDN to an MCD, are the result of deficiencies in prior databases for available mobile dialing numbers MDN, and problems inherent in prior procedures that assigned the MDN on the basis of the postal zip code encompassing the base address for the MCD.
FIG. 1 shows a typical prior method 100 for assigning an MDN to an MCD operating in a mobile communication system. The process 100 is separated into two major groupings of steps 102, 104. In the first grouping 102 of steps 106-120, encompassed in dashed lines in FIG. 1, the actual MDN is assigned. In the second grouping 104 of steps 122-126, outside of the dashed lines in FIG. 1, the MDN that was assigned to the MCD in the first grouping 102 of steps 106-120 is activated by the wireless service provider WSP in steps 122-128, and the MCD is configured for operation with the MDN in step 130. If the assigned new MDN is replacing an old MDN, previously assigned to the MCD, the old MDN is deactivated in steps 132 and 134.
The prior iterative process 100 for assigning the MDN, as represented by the first grouping 102 of steps 106-120 in FIG. 1, involves several exchanges of information between the MCS operator and the WSP, and uses the postal zip code encompassing the base address as the primary input for selecting and assigning the MDN. As shown at box 106, the MCS operator starts the MDN assignment procedure by sending the zip code encompassing the base address to the WSP. As shown at box 108, the WSP uses the zip code provided by the MCS operator to prepare a list of area code and dialing prefix combinations (designated herein by the letters NPA-NXX) that are currently available from a billing identification (BID) area encompassing the zip code of the base address for the MCD. The list of NPA-NXX combinations that are available in the BID area encompassing the zip code of the base address for the MCD is sent back to the MCS operator, as shown at box 110.
The MCS operator selects an NPA-NXX combination, as shown at box 112, from the list provided by the WSP in the step of box 110. As shown at box 114, the customer may be consulted, regarding the selection of a preferred NPA-NXX combination, but this is not typically done. Typically the MCS operator selects the NPA-NXX combination without input from the customer.
The MCS operator sends the selected NPA-NXX combination back to the WSP, as shown at box 116. The WSP then selects and appends an available four digit line number (-LINE) to the selected NPA-NXX combination received from the MCS operator, to complete the ten digit mobile dialing number MDN, assigns the MDN to the MCD, and sends the assigned MDN back to the MCS operator, as shown at boxes 118 and 120.
The assigned MDN is then actuated and the MCD is configured for operation with the assigned MDN, as shown in steps 122-130, and if required, an old MDN previously assigned to the MCD is deactivated, as shown in steps 132 and 134.
Utilization of the zip code encompassing the base address, and the BID for selecting the MDN involves an inherent flaw in the MDN assignment process 100, and a risk that the MDN selected and assigned in the first grouping 102 of steps 106-120 of the prior MDN assignment process 100 will not be a telephone number that provides local call access from the base address BA to the MCD. The inherent flaw and risk are illustrated in FIG. 2.
As shown in FIG. 2, the BID area is defined by a boundary line, illustrated by phantom lines in FIG. 2, established by the wireless service provider for facilitating billing procedures of the wireless service provider. While the BID area works well for the intended purpose of facilitating billing, it is not well suited for use in assigning an MDN allowing local call access from a base address BA located within the BID area to an MCD associated with that base address BA.
As shown in FIG. 2, a particular BID area typically encompasses several zip codes, as illustrated by zones ZIP1 through ZIP4, and all or part of several wireless rate centers, as illustrated by WRC1-WRC3. As further illustrated in FIG. 2, the base address (BA) is located in zone ZIP 1 and is encompassed by wireless rate center WCR1. Unfortunately, however, the BID does not define the geographic relationship between the BA, ZIP1, and WR1-WR3 in sufficient detail to determine which of the wireless rate centers WR1-WR3 encompasses the base address BA, and which mobile dialing numbers MDN assigned to the BID are in turn assigned to the wireless rate center WR1 encompassing the base address BA, and would provide free local call access from the MCN to the base address BA.
The BID typically has, assigned to it, a list of mobile dialing numbers MDN having various NPA-NXX-LINE combinations that are not geographically associated by the BID with any particular zip code or wireless rate center encompassed by the BID. There is thus no geographic correlation between the NPA-NXX combinations in the list supplied to the MCS operator by the WSP at box 110, and the base address BA, or the zip code ZIP1 and the wireless rate center WRC 1 encompassing the base address BA. Without such a geographic correlation, the MDN assigned by the prior method 100, as shown in FIG. 1, may be available in the BID, but only provide local call access within WRC2 or WRC3, and not WRC1, thereby resulting in an MDN being assigned to the MCD that will require payment of long distance charges for communication from the base address BA the MCD.
Unfortunately this undesirable situation will likely not be recognized until the customer receives his first bill for operation of the MCD and realizes that he is incurring long distance and roaming charges in addition to the flat rate subscription charge paid to the MCS operator. Such a situation results in an unhappy customer, and requires wasted effort and increased cost to the MCS operator and WSP for repeating the MDN assignment process to change to a new MDN, assigned to wireless rate center WRC1, that allows local call access from the base address BA to the MCD.
An improved method and apparatus are required, for assigning an MDA providing local call access from a base address BA for an MCD to the MCD, via a wireless rate center encompassing a base address BA for the MCD, in a more straightforward and reliable manner.